Chapter 8: The Seventh Prince

However, Cang Yinyue merely glanced at Li Musheng with indifference and said nothing.

The air remained silent for a moment, but eventually, she spoke with some reluctance

"Rest assured, whether you are the true Seventh Prince or not, I will do my utmost to ensure your safety."

Li Musheng shrugged and smiled

"That’s not what I meant. I just feel that if I go through all the trouble of running all the way to Shangyang City, only to find out I’m not the prince, wouldn't that be a bit awkward?"

Hearing this, Cang Yinyue let out a cold snort

"I understand what you mean. If I really made a mistake, I will compensate you with another hundred taels of silver as travel expenses for this trip."

Li Musheng immediately beamed, gave a thumbs-up, and praised

"Miss Cang is generous; you are truly worthy of being an expert from the Hidden Intelligence Bureau."

Cang Yinyue kept a straight face, crossed her arms, and said

"Do not think that just because you have entered the Xiantian realm of martial arts, you can let your guard down. While a Xiantian expert can indeed run rampant in Shun'an City, they are not even worth mentioning when placed across the entire Great Li."

As she spoke, she sighed softly

"I know you must have had some opportunities; otherwise, a small martial arts school in Shun'an City could never produce a Xiantian expert, even if they exhausted all their wealth."

"But there are mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people. Once you reach Shangyang City, you will realize that there are always world-class geniuses in this world who will leave you far behind."

Li Musheng poked the fire with a wooden stick, making the bonfire burn brighter, and asked

"For example?"

"I have never left Shun'an City and don't know much about the outside world. Miss Cang, please feel free to tell me more; I love hearing about these things."

Cang Yinyue, however, shook her head and sneered

"It is useless for me to tell you more. You will understand once you see it for yourself."

"However, what I can tell you is that the 'Seventh Prince' currently locked in the Celestial Prison is a person of heaven-sent talent. Not only does he possess the talent to govern the world, but his martial arts aptitude is also something countless people can only look up to. Before this incident occurred, he was even one of the princes with the best hope of ascending to the throne."

Hearing this, Li Musheng was stunned for a moment, then said with some regret

"That is truly a pity. Such an excellent talent being locked in the Celestial Prison is definitely a loss for the Great Li Dynasty."

Cang Yinyue glanced at Li Musheng, a flash of inexplicable anger in her eyes, and suddenly said sharply

"In my eyes, you are the true Seventh Prince. If he were to be released, how would you conduct yourself then?"

"Those things were originally yours, yet he has taken everything away for twenty years. And how many twenty years do you have to lose?"

Having said this, Cang Yinyue seemed to realize she was getting a bit emotional. She paused and added

"Bringing you back to Shangyang City is merely my duty. As for everything that follows, you will have to rely on yourself. Otherwise, in a place like the Imperial Capital, you might be eaten until not even your bones are left."

Li Musheng frowned as he looked at Cang Yinyue, who had suddenly become angry for no apparent reason.

Why was this girl getting so worked up?

He didn't seem to have said he was going to let himself be slaughtered, did he?

But upon closer reflection, Li Musheng realized that she didn't actually have any malicious intent.

At this moment, after her outburst, Cang Yinyue simply closed her eyes and ignored Li Musheng.

Seeing this, Li Musheng muttered to himself

"She swore she believed I was the Seventh Prince, yet this is her attitude? Is this how one treats a prince of Great Li?"

Thinking this, he reached into his robes and suddenly spoke

"Miss Cang, the half-incense stick of time you spent away in Shun'an City today—did you go to the Yu Family Martial Arts School?"

Hearing this, Cang Yinyue snapped her eyes open and glared at Li Musheng

"You followed me?"

But soon, she shook her head and muttered to herself

"Impossible. If you had followed me, I would have noticed."

Li Musheng spread his hands and said

"I didn't follow you, but I guessed you must have gone to the Yu Family Martial Arts School and retrieved what the Seven Thieves of Zhahe wanted from that old man Yu."

"How can you be sure?" Cang Yinyue asked.

"Because before today, you weren't just following me; you were also following the Seven Thieves of Zhahe, so you knew what their goal was."

Li Musheng reached into his robes and pulled out a six-sided, carved brown wooden box, curiously fiddling with it in his hand.

"If you didn't care about what the old man Yu had, you wouldn't have spent that half-incense stick of time there. Since you did, it means this item must be quite important in your eyes."

By now, Cang Yinyue’s expression had changed. She reached out to search her own bundle, but the item that had been there was gone.

Cang Yinyue stood up straight from leaning against the tree, the bonfire reflecting in her phoenix eyes.

"When did you steal it?" Cang Yinyue asked in a calm voice.

As her words fell, her slender figure vanished into the twilight.

In the dim light, there was only a rush of wind that made the bonfire flicker violently.

When Cang Yinyue reappeared, she was already behind Li Musheng.

One hand reached for the six-sided wooden box in Li Musheng's hand, while the other was raised high, her jade-white palm forming a hand blade, striking toward the back of Li Musheng's neck.

"You wouldn't be planning to knock me out and drag me to Shangyang City, would you?"

Li Musheng's voice rang in Cang Yinyue's ear.

Her pupils dilated, and only then did she realize with shock that all her movements had frozen in mid-air; she was unable to move a muscle.

"You... how did you do this?"

Cang Yinyue opened her mouth and found that she could still speak.

"Just a pressure-point technique. Who told you to suddenly appear and scare me?"

Li Musheng chuckled. Looking at Cang Yinyue, who was inches away, his heart stirred, and he suddenly reached out to remove the veil from her face.

"Don't!"

Cang Yinyue cried out urgently.

But Li Musheng did not stop his hand, saying

"Don't be so feudal and pedantic. Being beautiful is a gift from the heavens; one must learn to share. What's the point of hiding it away and only looking at it yourself?"

However, just as Li Musheng had lifted the veil halfway, he quickly put it back on.

By now, Cang Yinyue's eyes were bloodshot, and she was staring at Li Musheng with immense fury.

"Hey, look at you getting all worked up. I'll stop looking, okay?"

Li Musheng carefully adjusted her veil and withdrew his hand.

However, a trace of imperceptible shame flickered in his eyes.

After lingering on the bonfire for a moment, Li Musheng lowered his head and continued to fiddle with the wooden box.

At this, Cang Yinyue closed her eyes, opened them slowly, took a deep breath, and asked

"What pressure-point technique was that? Why was it so fast?"

Li Musheng replied without looking up

"It's called the Sunflower Pressure-Point Technique, but you probably haven't heard of it, because it's a martial art I created myself."